Value of idle time

I just finished reading “Quitting the paint factory,” an article by Mark Slouka in the November 2004 issue of Harper’s Magazine. Mark looks at the history of the American worker, the pursuit of money over the value of time and mind, and questions what we value. Mark talks about the value of idle time, how we now spend money to have busy leisure time, and he shares the stories of literary figures struggling with some of the same questions about life. (via BoingBoing)

What it says, crudely enough, is that in order to be successful, we must not only work but work continuously; what it assumes is that time is inversely pro­portional to wealth: our time demands will increase the harder we work and the more successful we become. It’s an organic thing; a law, almost. Fish got­ta swim and birds gotta fly, you gotta work like a dog till you die.